Monday Market Wrap and Must Reads

  The only way to end your day   🧢Small caps lead markets higher The small cap focused Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) led the way to the upside, rising 1.24% as the rest of the market tip toed higher ahead of retail sales data later this week. The S&P 500 ETF (QQQ) added 0.33%, with the tech-focused Nasdaq-100 ETF (QQQ) gained 0.54%. Investors are still waiting for any news - one way or the other - on the developing debt ceiling drama. President Joe Biden is expected to meet with congressional leaders on Tuesday. The low volume trading day could also be attributed to the market's desire to see how retail sales figures - which release tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM ET - reflect consumers' willingness to spend ahead of corporate earnings from large retailers such as Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT). 🎮EU Approves Activision Acquisition European Union regulators approved the $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI) by Microsoft (MSFT). This is considered a huge win for MSFT, as regulators globally. have been probing whether the acquisition of ATVI could distort competition in the console and cloud gaming market. Both companies still face the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's decision on whether the takeover will or will not harm competition in the gaming markets. ATVI stock rose 1.24% on the news, while MSFT shares closed marginally higher, adding 0.16%. 🛢️ Alternative Investments Rise West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil contracts added 1.57%, while natural gas gained 4.81%. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) each added 1.73%, respectively. Gold traded flat, closing at $2020.20. 👀 Looking ahead The name of the game is retail sales and retailers this week, and bulls must be hoping the phrase "shop 'til you drop" is still applicable. Economists expect retail sales - which are considered the primary gauge of consumer spending - to have risen 0.8% on a month over month basis. In conjunction with the retail sales number, investors also get a look at Home Depot's (HD) recent quarterly numbers. The company, considered a bellwether of the U.S. economy, is expected to announce $3.81 in earnings per share to go along with $38.35 billion in revenue. Retail sales numbers and Home Depot (HD) earnings numbers both drop tomorrow before the bell. You know what else is happening before the market opens? [Money Morning LIVE, starting at 830 AM ET. Be there!]( 📊 Earnings on deck Tuesday before market open: Home Depot (HD), Baidu (BIDU), On Semi (ONON) Monday after market close: Rumble (RUM), NU Holdings (NU), Canoo (GOEV) Today's leading sectors: Semiconductors (SMH +2.62%), Biotech (XBI +2.48%) Today's lagging sectors: Utilities (XLU -1.26%), Consumer Staples (XLP -0.25%)   Must Reads     When “small” things have a big impact on the market If you’re keeping score at home – and let’s face it, we’re all keeping score – the Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ) squeaked out another weekly win last week. However, during the same timeframe, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) dropped another 0.8% for the week. Those two numbers tell you all you need to know about the “[bifurcated market]( But there’s [more to the market than meets the eye with the QQQ…]( [Continue Reading](     postcards from the florida republic Let’s look at the week ahead, key trading trends, stocks we’re eyeing, and other ideas. Monday.515: Today,13F filings will arrive by the end of the day. We can find out what stocks Bill Ackman, Carl Icahn, and the rest of the elite hedge fund class have bought in recent months. Also, we’ll see if Raphael Bostic can resist talking about interest rate hikes and throw the market awry. [Tuesday.516: With oil prices back under pressure...]( [Continue Reading](     After 12 Years of Ignoring Gold… Three breakout events are quickly converging. Tom Gentile predicts “Gold to $5,000 by November.” He’s already put nearly $1.6 million on the line to back it up. Now, he believes silver, copper, and dozens of miners will follow suit. Tom’s bringing in the foremost gold expert on the planet, Brien Lundin, for the full profit plan. [Join them Now for the $5k Gold Breakout Event.](     How to Trade Halted Stocks My son is back home from JMU for the summer. And while he’s back, I have him next to me in the [Warlock’s World]( to teach him the ins and outs of day trading. Like any new VWAPian, he’ll need to start learning from square one. And there are plenty of topics I’ll be breaking down while he’s here. [One in particular that I’ve seen emails from you all asking about is how to trade a stock when it gets halted...]( [Continue Reading](     There’s “Rich”... And Then There’s “Texas Rich” As we speak, a massive bidding war in the oil fields of the Permian Basin is setting up for a new generation of “Texas Rich.” All you need to know is the right acquisition targets and how to play ‘em. Garrett {NAME} is sharing the full game plan: his targets, the buyers, and the date of every single deal. If you’re ready to learn the meaning of “Texas Rich,” [Check it out by clicking here.](     Get in Quick on This Easy Gold Play with Triple-Digit Profit Potential Long-term interest in gold has come out of the shadows, and the luster and allure are obvious with a move towards de-dollarization spreading around the globe. But that’s just part of what’s driving gold higher. [If politicians in Washington do allow (or even seriously talk about) the U.S. Government defaulting on its debt, gold and gold miners will be some of the primary beneficiaries...]( [Continue Reading](   We’d love to hear from you! There’s nothing more that we value than hearing from our loyal Money Morning LIVE audience! (Especially hearing how much you LOVE the content you receive from Trading Today or [how amazing I was on Warlock's World]( So whatever your pleasure - whether it’s [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [TikTok]( or [Facebook]( - give us a like, a follow, or leave us a comment (or an emoji 💸)! Never miss another issue! up for every daily newsletter that we have to offer]( never miss another watchlist, free trade, or lesson ever again! - Boom 💥 Editor, Trading Today   [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [TikTok]( [Facebook]( AI could replace 300 million jobs in the next decade. Are you positioned for poverty or profit? 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